We have nothing for breakfast so I give Mike a slice of banana bread, saving the last slice for Stephen as he said it was his favourite and he didn’t get a piece on my birthday. I take it up to him and he offers me a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. It’s 9.30 am – I think he has the wrong impression of me – so I try to change the image and ask for water instead. He gives me some packets of Thai curry mixes as he knows I love them and his mixes from Malaysia are brilliant.
We are outside on the dock mid morning when a little Indian lady wanders up and asks if we would like some homemade pumpkin rotis for $1 Fiji each. Yes please! I buy two and order four chicken curry rotis for Monday. The pumpkin ones are delicious but very hot.
Some of the boats start to leave. Crazy Horse and Ocean Jasper re-fuel then make their way over to Musket Cove. Lady Lisa, Wild Tigress and Grand Filou come in. We realise that the huge super yacht, Archimedes, has also left the dock. You’d think we’d notice that thing disappearing but we don’t.
I decide to do the laundry as there is a self service one here but when I arrive the only machine is being used. I wait for a few minutes then an elderly gentleman arrives and says his washing should be ready in a few minutes. We start to chat. What a lovely man John is. We saw his boat in the bay at Lautoka a few days ago. He tells me how he sails his boat single handed (he must be mid to late 70s) and some of the difficulties this entails. I am full of admiration. Having left the very North of America 18 months ago and getting to Australia, he is now headed back, via Hawaii.
As he loads the tumble dryer, I load the washing machine, and as it’s a huge American thing, I can get two washes into one.
I get back to the boat and suddenly realise that I have left my handbag in the laundry room. I go to leave the boat and as I emerge, John is there clutching my handbag. What a sweetie. He had remembered the boat name and had come to find me.
Once the laundry is complete I go to the supermarket and buy some basics and am wandering around when I meet Heidi and Casey. I go with Heidi looking for some hair products and take her to the spa which turns out to have some nice products of all description. They show us around and it is beautifully tranquil. I decide there and then that I deserve some nice treatments and take a brochure to look at back on the boat.
I bump into Stephen who confides quietly that it was his birthday yesterday but that his wife had let the cat out of the bag when his wife shouted happy birthday to him over the internet on Skype and the rest of his crew heard. I immediately go back to the boat and get our last packet of sweet microwave popcorn which I know he loves and had been looking for in the supermarket. (He gave me a packet of butter popcorn as an extra birthday present.)
I doze off in the afternoon, waking up just in time to freshen up before going over to Voyageur for sundowners, then it’s back to the boat for a shower, hair wash and film. Neither Mike nor I are particularly hungry so we end up finishing the ice cream and macadamia nuts. What a strange meal.
Sounds as though you are having a great time. It must be nice to treat yourself occaisionally. I spoke to many people at the wedding this weekend,most of them being producers,editors and directors at Anglia television. They were very impressed that you were experiencing this great adventure. Could be a programme in this!!!!! The whole weekend was an absolute meat fest, dont want to look another lamb in the face for a long, long time, infact I said to Terry that we will not be eating until Thursday. I didnt stipulate which one.
ReplyDeleteKeep well all of you, I am just about to book my flights to South Africa. Terry already has his. Love you all and speak to you soon.
By the way, the Scottish dancing was really good fun after several glasses of Champers.
Love Ann xxxxx